A BBQ in the vines of Arbossar

The Fira del Vi in Falset is nothing if not a jam packed festival of wine showcasing all that’s good about DOQ Priorat and DO Montsant. That being the case (and the fact we presented our newest guide there) we often found ourselves splitting up to cover everything that was going on.

In drawing the short straw this time, I was the one to pop in at Cal Compte’sTast del Compte which showed off the wines of the charming village of Torroja (where we were also staying for a week). After enjoying this feast of beautiful wines (such as the new bottles from L’Infernal and Aixalà Alcait), it was up to the Arbossar vineyard of Terroir al Límit for a BBQ amongst the old vines.

There are old vineyards in Priorat and then there are old vineyards. Arbossar would be the later. It’s a beautiful 1.6ha property comprised of 90+ year-old Carignan vines curling their way out of the rocks. The steep slope they sit upon is difficult for a wine glass wielding adult to walk up, but one which the terrace-trained children of René Barbier and Sara Peréz seem to have no problem leaping about and running down like goats. Stepping behind a fold in the hills though, all sounds of modernity are cast under a heavy blanket of slate. Ironically, the mobile reception was better there than in the village–may wonders never cease.

And that was it as all of us just let the spring vines slowly grow around us while snacking on tasty meats that Dominik and Brunehilde had procured for the day, while Dominik poured his always stellar wines. A dab of sunscreen and donning of hats came about as the afternoon sun hung bright and large above the gathering. Of course it’s a shame when times like this have to end, but the fair in Falset was waiting to return to and I begrudgingly made my back along the narrow road that leads up to one of these blessed hidden corners in Priorat.